Which "off the beaten track" countries have you visited?

Jeremy Sproket · 08-10-2021 07:34PM #1

Have you ever been to a country that not may other people have been to?

I've been to Ukraine (picking up in popularity, I know 😉), Belarus, Moldova, Transnistria and Northern Cyprus (the latter two only being recognised by one or two other nations) 😋 The crossing from Cyprus to TRNC was relatively straightforward as was the crossing into Transnistria.

whomadewho · 08-10-2021 08:09PM

I've been to Sumatra,Indonesia, Tibet and Myanmar (Burma). Would highly recommend all 3 parts of the world.

mfceiling · 08-10-2021 08:27PM

Uruguay in 2001. Was nothing worth talking about.

08-10-2021 08:34PM

Ivory Coast

Togo

All of South America except Guyana and Venezuela but no so "off-the-beaten-track" anymore

08-10-2021 09:29PM

Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia.

All great spots. Kazakhstan is some place if you are into Soviet architecture, nuclear test grounds, and huge statues of Marx and Lenin.

silliussoddius · 08-10-2021 10:16PM

Is Merv in Uzbekistan, looks like an interesting place?

Cake Man · 08-10-2021 10:37PM

Did a cruise about 4 years ago to Fiji and stopped off at two locations there -Lautoka (near where the film Castaway was shot) and Suva, the capital. Then on to Port Vila, Vanuatu and finally Isle of Pines (Ile des Pins in French) in New Caledonia.

Typical relaxing island vibes and stunning scenery but Fiji and Vanuatu in particular are fairly run down. Looks like they got a like of paint and upgrade about 20 years ago but nothing maintained since.

08-10-2021 10:51PM

Ireland. Might surprise, but not a lot of the world even knows it exists

pappyodaniel · 08-10-2021 10:54PM

"I've been around the world, and it's fu*kin' sh!te" - Brian Limond

JohnCleary · 08-10-2021 10:56PM

Ukraine approx. 10 years ago.

Myanmar just before COVID. Flew back home Jan 2020, close call. Not only did Myanmar get ravaged by COVID (like many other countries) but of course another coup with blood on the streets.

08-10-2021 10:58PM

I don't think there are really too many 'off the beaten track' countries anymore! Maybe some areas of countries.

Been in Moldova, northern Cyprus, Ukraine. Would love to go to the stans like Dr phibes above.

Spent a lot of time in Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia, Serbia, all around the Balkans really. Been to Aland, which is an autonomous region of Finland, an island between Finland and Sweden, where the people are more Swedish.

Happyhouse22 · 08-10-2021 11:11PM

Have been to Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus and Transnistria also.Never to Northern Cyprus but would love to go.

Other off the beaten track places I’ve been include Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Somaliland, East Timor, Vanuatu and Malawi.

I also lived in Gansu province, despite being in China it was probably more remote than any of those countries

Happyhouse22 · 08-10-2021 11:18PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117995897#Comment_117995897

Merv would be Turkmenistan.

Fascinating country but didn’t make it to Merv,

08-10-2021 11:33PM

Antarctica (a continent), Greenland, Faeroe Islands, Svålbard (well not a country exactly but has most northerly town in world), Galápagos (island of Ecuador), Newfoundland (Province of Canada), Albania, Serbia, Åland Islands (autonomous islands of Finland), Azores (lesser visited islands of Portugal), Namibia, Ile de La Réunion (French island in Indian Ocean), Nepal, Peru, Vietnam, Cambodia, Ukraine, Seychelles, Northern Cyprus, Shetland, Orkney, Islay, Jura, most of Outer Hebrides, Colonsay, Isles of Scilly, Lindisfarne, Gotland (Swedish island), La Palma (the Canary island with active volcano atm), Texel (Dutch Frisian island), Bornholm (Danish island), Guernsey, Sark, Alderney, Herm.

Andrea B. · 08-10-2021 11:47PM

Malaysian Borneo.

Samuri Suicide · 09-10-2021 12:54AM

Bit of a dick swing conversation

Look above..

YFlyer · 09-10-2021 01:36AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117995230#Comment_117995230

Me too after a conference in Brazil. Also briefly, for a few hours, in Paraguay. At the waterfalls.

09-10-2021 08:07AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117996245#Comment_117996245

Paraguay is a place I’ve rarely heard of folk visiting, and nobody I know has been. There is some Irish connection, some Irish woman of note was a significant historic figure there is do thing I vaguely recall.

09-10-2021 08:17AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117996075#Comment_117996075

Stayed in a hotel in Tirana whose entire food supply from bread, eggs, jam, meat, wine, was entirely from the family organic farm in the countryside. Amazing stuff. The potholes on the footpaths are something to behold, but huge wealth apparent in the Christian churches in spite of it being a majority Muslim country, albeit a very low key form of Islam.

In Serbia my way more modern style Radisson hotel had a supply of organic food, with amazing breakfast array. Those lower key Balkan countries are making a virtue of having retained some traditional forms of agriculture which fits very well into modern trends of ecotourism.

09-10-2021 08:18AM

Slovenia,Philippinnes, Zambia and Zimbabwe(when they were expelling whites!) The surprising thing was at the time Zimbabwe seems quite prosperous with people out and about everywhere working and living their lives, while in Zambia and South Africa there were lots of men hanging around doing nothing

09-10-2021 08:24AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117996536#Comment_117996536

Zimbabwe was a prosperous country until they threw the whites out.

Have been to Mozambique

I did 3 countries in a day.

Denmark, Sweden and Germany and spent a few hours in each. Got home 20 hours after leaving.

seenitall · 09-10-2021 08:12PM

French Polynesia (Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora and some other smaller islands), my most exotic holiday by far.

Mad_maxx · 09-10-2021 09:36PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117995230#Comment_117995230

I could see Uruguay across the river from a point in Buenos Aires

rainagain · 09-10-2021 09:56PM

Brunei, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Mongolia, Nepal

Still stihl waters 3 · 09-10-2021 10:06PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117996075#Comment_117996075

That reads like an Army/Gardai UN duty ticket

Rustyman101 · 09-10-2021 10:13PM

Guinnea Bissau, Senegal, gambia not really off the track.

Nigel Fairservice · 10-10-2021 12:29AM

In terms of countries probably North Macedonia. Pleasant enough place I thought. In terms of places, Alaska was probably the most out of the way place I've been to. It had a frontier vibe to it. The strangest was Bethlehem in the West Bank. I always had a child's image of the place in my head from primary school and the reality of it was so different.

signostic · 10-10-2021 12:35AM

Most Europeans except Netherlands, Nordic, Switz, Balkans, South Korea with an exclusive visit to the DMZ with the US Army

USA, Columbia, Costa Rica, Tijuana & Ciudad Juarez(never again) in Mexico.

10-10-2021 02:35AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117996142#Comment_117996142

That you Jack Sparrow?

10-10-2021 03:57AM

Sri Lanka and Indonesia I suppose.

Andrewf20 · 10-10-2021 08:30AM

Nepal, Bhutan, Iceland, Galapagos, Brazil, Chile (Patagonia) , Ecuador, Argentina, Tanzania.

Nepal is class and well worth a visit, same with Iceland and patagonia. Bhutan was escorted tour only. Strange place. Endless hills with forests and temples dotted all over the place. Thimphu is a capital city there with zero traffic lights. Loads of stray dogs and empty hotels. We booked the galapagos in Quito and it was half the price of booking it from Ireland.

Which "off the beaten track" countries have you visited?

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